Group Theory: Math30038, Sheet 1

GCS: Solutions
The course web site is available via http://www.bath.ac.uk/masgcs/ 1. Let G be a group. Suppose that x G. Let CG (x) = {g G | gx = xg} G. Prove that CG (x) G. Solution: 1 CG (x) = . Moreover if g G and gx = xg, then xg1 = g1 x so if a, b CG (x), then ab1 x = axb1 = xab1 and therefore ab1 CG(x). 2. Let G be a group. Suppose that S G. Let CG(S) = {g G | gs = sgs S}. Prove that CG(S) G. Solution: We have

CG (S) = sS CG (s)

and since the intersection of subgroups is a subgroup, we are done. 3. Let G be a group. Suppose that S G. Let NG (S) = {g G | gS = Sg} where gS = {gs | s S} and Sg = {sg | s S}. Prove that CG(S) NG (S) G. Solution: The fact that NG (S) is a group follows the outline of the proof that CG (x) is a group. The condition to be in CG(S) is stronger than that to be in NG (S) so CG(S) NG (S) G. 4. Let G be a group. Suppose that S G and that x NG (S). Prove that CG (S)x = xCG(S). Solution: We will show that CG (S) = x1 CG(S)x which will suce. Suppose that s S, then xs = s x for some s S. Now shoose any c CG(S), then x1 cxs = x1 cs x = x1 s cx = x1 (xsx1 )cx = sx1 cx and therefore sx1 c CG(S) and so x1 CG(S)x CG(S). Replacing x by x1 in this argument yields that xCG(S)x1 CG (S). Premultiplying by x1 and postmultiplying by x gives CG(S) x1 CG(S)x. Now we have two mutually reverse inclusions so CG (S) = x1 CG(S)x for all x NG (S). 1

5. Let G be a nite group. Suppose that = H G has the property that if a, b H, then ab H. Does it follow that H G? What happens if we relax the condition that G is nite? Solution: If h H, then h H and so o(h) is a natural number n. If h = 1 then h1 = h H. Otherwise n > 1 and then h1 = hn1 H so H is a subgroup of G. In the event that G is innite, things fall apart. For example perhaps G = Zunder addition, the N is a non-empty additively closed subset which is not a subgroup since 1 N. 6. Suppose that G is a group and that x G. Prove that (x1 )1 = x. Solution: x1 x = 1 = x1 (x1 )1 . Premultiplying by x gives the result. 7. Does there exist a group G containing elements a, b such that a2 = b2 = (ab)3 = 1? Solution: Yes, the trivial group will do it. More interestingly, let G be the group S3 , and put a = (1, 2) and b = (2, 3). Now the orders of a, b and abare exactly as advertized. 8. Suppose that G is a group with the property that x2 = 1 whenever x is an element of G. Show that G must be abelian. Solution: Suppose that a, b G, then abab = 1 = baab. Postmultiplying by ba yields ab = ba. 9. (Challenge) Suppose that G is a group with the property that x3 = 1 whenever x is an element of G. Show that G need not be abelian. Solution: Consider the set of 3 by 3 upper triangular matrices with entries in F = Z , the eld of integers modulo 3 which have 1s on the 3 leading diagonal. It is easy to verify that these 27 matrices form a group. Each matrix is of the form I + wheer I is the 3 by 3 identity matrix and is strictly upper triangular. Note that 3 is the zero matrix, so the inverse of I + is I + 2 and moreover (I + )3 = I + 3 + 32 = I so ev ery element of the group has order dividing 3. The matrices I + E12 and I + E23 do not commute as may be veried by direct calculation; here Eab is the 3 by 3 matrix with entries in F where the entrie in the i-th row and j-th column is ia jb where is the Kronecker delta.